Donald Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court

Official nomination: Donald Trump introduces his nominee Brett Kavanaugh
REUTERS
Fiona Simpson10 July 2018

Donald Trump has nominated influential conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh to sit in the US Supreme Court.

The US President announced his nomination at 6pm local time (2am Tuesday) BST at a press conference at the White House on Monday.

The 53-year-old federal appellate judge was elected to the seat opened up by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Mr Kavanaugh has been a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington since 2006.

New seat: Brett Kavanaugh appeared with his wife and two daughters
AP

He also was a key aide to Kenneth Starr during his investigation of President Bill Clinton and worked in the White House during George W. Bush’s presidency.

Mr Trump made the announcement in the East Room of the White House and rousing applause broke out as Mr Kavanaugh entered with his wife and two daughters.

Mr Trump introduced Mr Kavanaugh as "a judge's judge" and cited his "proven commitment to equal justice under the law".

The president said Mr Kavanaugh has "impeccable credentials and unsurpassed qualifications".

President's nominee: Brett Kavanaugh
EPA

A senior White House official said Mr Trump made his final decision on the nomination on Sunday evening, then phoned Mr Kavanaugh to inform him.

The official said Mr Trump decided on Mr Kavanaugh, a front-runner throughout the search process, because of his large body of jurisprudence cited by other courts, describing him as a judge that other judges read.

On Monday, Mr Trump phoned retiring Justice Kennedy to inform him that his former law clerk would be nominated to fill his seat. Mr Trump signed Mr Kavanaugh's nomination papers on Monday evening in the White House residence.

Top contenders had included federal appeals judges Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett and Thomas Hardiman.

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